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Kurama
Kurama/Gallery Yoko Kurama (妖狐蔵馬, lit. Yōko Kurama; in the English dub, Kurama the Yoko), also known as Shuichi Minamino (南野秀一, Minamino Shūichi translated as Southern Field ''and ''Excellence First, respectively), is one of the main protagonists in the anime/manga series of YuYu Hakusho. The word Yoko, despite being portrayed as a name in the dub, actually literally translates to "demon fox" in Japanese. He is voiced by Megumi Ogata (Shūichi) and Shigeru Nakahara (Yoko) in the original Japanese and John Burgmeier in the FUNimation English dub, Candice Moore also voiced Kurama in the Animax Asia which is a different English dub. He is called Dennis Tagalog ( デニス・タガログ語 , Denisu Tagarogu-go ) in the Filipino dub of the anime. He is voiced by David Hayter in Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie and by Hideo Seaver in Yu Yu Hakusho the Movie: Poltergeist Report. Kurama as a child in the FUNimation dub is voiced by Kate Bristol. In the Filipino dub of the anime he was voiced briefly by Rose Barin during the Artifact Recovery arc and during the Saint Beast arc and onwards, he was voiced by Jeremy Emmanuel Joya. Yoko Kurama is the name of the original, silver-haired fox demon. After he was wounded by being chased, he put his spirit into the newly born human baby, Shuichi Minamino. It is at this point, and later through aging, that Kurama's psyche is in control. A theme throughout the series is his acceptance as a human being & his balancing of the two personalities. He can switch between both bodies almost at will after the Dark Tournament saga. Even though he is commonly seen in his human form (Minamino), he is referred to as Kurama. Appearance In his human form, Kurama has bright green eyes, as well as long vibrant red hair, with two long forelocks on either shoulder and the rest on his back. While in this form, he is occasionally mistaken for a female because of his long hair and delicate features. He often wears his pink school uniform matching pink slacks and a jacket with gold trim. Towards the end of Season One, he is seen wearing a white martial arts outfit similar to his school uniform with gold trim and a pink sash tied around the left side of his waist and the folded sleeves on both of his sleeves and pants and the high-neck on his uniform are dark blue. He stopped wearing it midway through the 2nd season (presumably because it was ruined in his fights against the first two members of Team Masho). After recovering from his injuries and assisting Yusuke at the end of the Demon Tournament, he was seen wearing a white long sleeve button Cheongsam with purple outlines, black pants and his martial arts shoes. For the remainder of the series, he often wears a light-colored Chinese-style battle outfit with yellow plane and blue trim. He is also seen in a flashback in the Three Kings Saga, a flashback of him meeting Hiei, where he has short hair. In Chapter Black Saga, he wears his battle outfit during the Dark Tournament Saga but minor changes as the yellow plane and blue trim changed from green plane and pink trim. He also wears a dark blue school uniform. While in his demon-fox form, he has slanted golden eyes, prominent silver fox-ears, as well as a silver tail and long flowing silver hair. He wears a white sleeveless yukata (that resembles a toga), along with matching martial arts pants and shoes. In Poltergeist Report Movie, when Kurama was seen shirtless, he had a lean build with a well sculpted chest, biceps, and shoulders, but the bandages cover most of his torso. In later parts of the movie he was seen wearing the same battle outfit in the Dark Tournament as his Chinese battle outfit is a red plane and yellow trim. In the latest OVA from 2018, Kurama wears the same casual look in the Chapter Black saga but without the leather jacket. He wears a long sleeved pink sweater shirt, blue gray jeans and black leather shoes. Personality Kurama is the most calculating, cunning and analytical member of the main characters and perhaps in the whole series. He is able to carefully look past his feelings and see the real situation at hand, which has been demonstrated on more than one occasion. He is extremely perceptive, able to quickly recognize the patterns and mistakes that his opponents make, which gives him an edge. In battle, while his preference is to concoct strategies based on deduction of his opponents' fighting abilities and style, his natural battle instincts are also highly tuned. He is capable of slashing another person's head off in just an instant, relying only on impulse. However, his care for his friends and family are the backbone of his fighting drive, as he would sacrifice just about anything to protect them and thus making him a reliable teammate despite his cunning front. Kurama has a very kind heart, and several villains in the series will use this ploy against him in order to beat him. In the face of adversity, Kurama has the uncommon ability to shun all emotions and shine a blank slate, thinking three to four steps ahead to clutch the pinch and seize control of the situation. Coupled with his vast intelligence, his detached emotional state is perhaps his greatest asset. Despite his physical appearance, Kurama has very high durability, shown in almost all of his matches. Because of his analyzation lenience, he is always the most injured in his fights, but manages to pull a trick out of his hat to decide the match. This is well defined in his match with Karasu. As Yoko Kurama, he is much more cruel, vindictive, and merciless, retaining all of his intellectual capabilities. He enjoys toying with his enemies in a sadistic manner, as shown in the semi-final rounds of the Dark Tournament and against Karasu. The transformation into Yoko was attained inadvertently earlier in the tournament with the age regression technique of Ura Urashima (through Suzuka). Later on in the series after Yusuke's defeat at the hands of Sensui, Kurama seems to take on his demon form, though he states it is just a change in physical appearance due to his exposure to substantial amounts of demon energy (a product of the tunnel's completion). However, he retains his human personality without becoming cruel and merciless. In the anime, it is portrayed that he and his demon form have different personalities. This is due to the fact that while a demon, his ruthless demeanor along with the change in his voice, make Kurama seem like an entirely different person. However, this misconception is cleared as Kurama states that his demonic spirit, merged with the human spirit of Minamino Shuichi over time. So rather than being a demon inhabiting a human body, he "is both the demon Kurama as well as the human Minamino Shuuichi." Kurama is on good terms with Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei. He is more closely related with Yusuke and Hiei, because the former spared his life and his human mother's by willingly offering his own life to the Forlorn Hope (one of the Artifacts of Darkness), and the latter because they were once, and still are "partners in crime". He also has a tendency to plan for all possible futures, one that may or may not be, because he believes that nothing is ever certain and that you must be prepared. History Kurama was once a master thief renowned as the "Legendary Bandit" and an A-class ranked fox-demon. At some point, he and his second-in-command, Yomi, decided to gain power through theft of very valuable items from secure facilities in Makai, even gaining a group of like-minded individuals. However, too many of his lieutenant's impulsive and rash decisions of acting on his own, had cost Yoko several of his men, and Kurama had to save Yomi several times in the past. Eventually, Yoko sent a hitman to punish Yomi, using false information of a well guarded treasure as bait; the assailant would blind him and Yoko left him for dead. Sometime afterward, he met Kuronue, a fellow thief; they shared similar values, becoming good friends and would steal various important artifacts together. Eventually, after successfully obtaining some rare antiquity, they fell into a trap of shooting bamboos, that would mortally wound Kuronue. After hearing his friend's pleading to leave him behind, Yoko reluctantly left to once again go and steal artifacts by himself. About 15 years ago, he was mortally wounded by one of the Spirit World's Elite Soldiers (known as Hunters by demons) after a failed theft, and was forced to retreat to the human world. He implanted his soul into Shiori Minamino's unborn child. He only planned on staying in the human world long enough to regain his energy, but he hadn't planned on caring for his human mother. Putting on an act before the day would come, however, he discovered emotional empathy and feelings during a childhood incident, where Shiori selflessly saved him from falling onto a floor of broken glass at the cost of permanent scars on her arms. As he grew up, his mother grew ill, forcing him to join forces with Hiei and another demon named Gouki, to steal from Spirit World to receive an artifact capable of saving his mother's life, the Forlorn Hope. His life was spared, in the process of sacrificing it, by Yusuke's willingness to sacrifice himself to save Kurama and his mother because he knew that if Kurama had died, Kurama's mother would be hurt from the loss of her only child, just like his mom did when he had first died (of course, he realized that his mom would be sad again). Afterward, he would be indebted to Urameshi for his selfless deed. Synopsis Spirit Detective Saga After he, Gōki, and Hiei steal the three artifacts from spirit world, Kurama tells them he must leave their alliance. Hiei is initially furious, and chases after Kurama when he leaves at the sudden appearance of Yusuke. He later shows up when Yusuke defeats Gōki, asking Yusuke for a meeting. Despite Botan's warning, Yusuke agrees to go.Yu Yu Hakusho manga; Chapter 22, Page 4 Kurama takes Yusuke to a hospital, where they meet his mother. Yusuke is confused why a demon could have a human mother, and why he would care so much for his mother. Kurama explains his past, and his mother's sickness. He feels that he somehow caused it, by putting her through emotion pain. Suddenly, a nurse asks Kurama to come back inside, where his mother's doctor tells him she only has a few hours to live. Kurama activates the artifact, the Forlorn Hope, which would grant him one wish.Yu Yu Hakusho manga; Chapter 22, Page 7 However, this would come at the cost of his life. Yusuke urges him to stop, then asks the mirror to take his life instead. Luckily, the mirror grants the wish without sacrifice because of Yusuke's compassion (or in the English manga and Japanese version the mirror only took half of the life force from both Yusuke and Kurama to fulfill the wish) . Kurama wakes up and quickly leaves to go see if his mother is alright, which she is.Yu Yu Hakusho manga; Chapter 22, Page 18 Hiei battles Yusuke next, and in his Jagan form, nearly kills the Spirit Detective. However, Kurama steps in the path of Hiei's sword, then uses his blood to blind Hiei's original third eye, crippling his powers. He then uses his power to stop Keiko from becoming a demon. After a surprising spirit gun that bounces off the Forlorn Hope, Botan inquires how Yusuke knew to do that. He replies it was spur of the moment thinking, leading Kurama to laugh. When the Saint Beasts infect the Human World with Makai insects, Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Yusuke go to the Demon City to stop them. Kurama faces the beast, Genbu, and unleashes his rose whip technique for the first time and defeats the beast, only for him to reconstitute his broken body. Kurama the senses Genbu's energy's center and destroys it, using the rose whiplash to disperse him. While Yusuke is sent to rescue the ice apparition, Yukina, Kurama is working in Spirit World for Koenma. They both worry for Hiei, because Yukina is his sister, and he would surely have killed her kidnapper, getting him arrested. Kurama leaves to find Hiei, and witnesses, for the first time, Hiei sparing his opponent. He then comments that he didn't need to come. In the manga, he is not seen at all during this mission. Dark Tournament Saga In the preliminaries, Kurama fought the member of Team Rokuyukai, Roto, who threatened to hurt his mother if he did not forfeit. However, Kurama turned the tables by planting the seed of the Death Plant on him beforehand, and stalling Roto enough to kill him before he could get the chance to press the button. Later, against Team Masho, Kurama fought Gama, a demon obsessed with make-up. He manages to win, but Gama's curses laid on Kurama's body seal his energy and keeps him from moving. This makes the next match against Toya difficult. The first curse wears off and Kurama is able to move, but Toya has the upper hand because Kurama's energy is still sealed. Kurama tried to disengage the curse by smearing his own blood on his chest, but it does not work. Toya says to him in order for the curse to wear off, Kurama has to bleed himself dry. With no other choice, Kurama decides to sow the seed of the death plant into his own body, allowing it to take root in his imprisoned energy. At the last second before he is struck by Toya's Ice Blade, he sprouts a plant that impales Toya in the torso, nearly killing him. The ordeal leaves him unconscious, but still standing, so he is faced against Bakken. He is nearly killed by the demon, but their leader, Risho, stops him from attacking so that Yusuke wouldn't kill him. In a short fight against Ura Urashima, Ura unleashes a tool called the Idunn Box that is supposed to regress his opponent's age to that of a baby. However, the effect differs for Kurama, and instead, he is returned to his Yoko form. After Suzuka's defeat, he gives Kurama a potion of the Fruit of the Previous Life that would allow him to willingly transform into Yoko Kurama. During the finals, Kurama faces Karasu, whose ability manipulates the intangible world. Kurama had taken the potion a few minutes before the match, so he became Yoko and nearly killed Karasu using a plant that could track movement. However, Karasu survives and Kurama returns to normal. Only by making Karasu bleed and then unleashing a blood-thirsty plant using his life energy as a last resort is he able to kill Karasu. Chapter Black Saga After the tournament ended, Kurama resumed his normal life, going back to Meiou High School. When Yusuke is kidnapped, a letter tells Botan and Kuwabara to go to Kurama's school and find him with Hiei's help so that they may retrieve their friend. After finding Hiei as well, they go to the house where Yusuke was being held only to open the door and find Yu Kaito waiting for them. When Kuwabara, Hiei, and Botan's souls are taken in by Kaito's power of taboo, Kurama is the last shred of hope to defeat Kaito at his game and gain back the souls of his friends. Upon Kurama defeating Kaito by making him laugh, the souls were retrieved and they go up the flight of stairs to find Yusuke. Once it was revealed that Genkai was behind the ruse, it is shown that there is a new threat of a hole to demon world opening. The next day, the group divide into two, with Kurama leading the group looking for the hole at Demon's Door Cave. Upon discovering the underground hole, Kurama then heads back to put the groups together and report it to Koenma. The following day, Kurama does not show up at Yusuke's house because he decides to pay Koenma a visit, believing that he may know more than he's telling their team. When it is shown that Kurama's allegations are indeed true, it is then revealed that the leader is Shinobu Sensui, a former Spirit Detective. When Sensui arrives at Yusuke's house to kidnap Kuwabara in order to have Gourmet eat Kuwabara's Dimensional Sword, the group then meets up at Demon's Door Cave. When entering the cave, Amanuma's (Game Master's) power has been activated, making Goblin City true to life. After everyone has taken their turn competing against him, Kurama was the one who had to face Amanuma at the end of the game. It is here that Kurama had no choice but to reveal to Amanuma that Sensui was merely using him to stall for time and it is part of his plan that Amanuma will die. By doing so, Kurama distracted him from performing well in the final level and managed to allow the group to go on to face Sensui, despite the death of Amanuma in the process. Kurama, then riddled with guilt, however, faced Gourmet upon reaching the cave. It is then that Kurama uses his Rose Whip to reveal that Elder Toguro had not only survived the Dark Tournament but was eaten by Gourmet and then took over his body. Being incensed by the truth known that he was rather riddled with disappointment and shame in that Yoko Kurama wouldn't have hesitated to have killed, or at least, broke someone for the advantage, even a child, Kurama then uses a smoke screen to not only hide the fact that he had planted the seed of the Sinning Tree on Gourmet (Elder Toguro), but also as a way of spurring the growth of this particular plant. After Itsuki traps Kurama, Hiei, Mitarai, and Kuwabara within the Uraotoko, a long discussion ensues as they watch Sensui and Yusuke clash. There, Kurama realizes not only the existence of Sensui's other personalities, but also what Yusuke intended to do upon realizing the power of Sensui's Sacred Energy. When Yusuke dies, and Kuwabara finally cuts the Uraotoko open with his newly-realized Dimension Sword, he, as well as Kurama (in demon form) and Hiei, chase Sensui to Demon World. The reason for the transformation was because of the emotional distress Kurama suffered from seeing Yusuke die. There, at a confrontation upon the Plateau of the Beheaded near the Forest of Fools, the three of them are completely trounced by Sensui's Sacred Energy Armor. After Yusuke's resurrection and arrival in Demon World, all Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Koenma, can do is watch as the two of them clash. After the battle against Sensui ended, Kurama and the rest of the group return to the Human World. Three Kings Saga In the Saga of the Three Kings, Kurama is called on by Yomi, his former partner when he was still a thief in Makai. Kurama's internal struggles become more apparent in this saga because of the two different aspects of himself: the human that he is when he fights alongside Yusuke and his companions, and Yoko. At this point, wherein he relives most of his past, his old personality is somewhat predominant, as it seems that he is becoming more and more like his old self, before he came to human world. In moments of duress or battle, Kurama (who had yet to fully suppress his Yoko side) would transform into Yoko. After meeting Yomi, he has apparently improved his strength greatly to lower S levels. However against the mid S-class Shachi, Kurama transforms into his Yoko self and easily overpowers Shachi. Kurama becomes Yomi's new right-hand man. After the death of Raizen, Yusuke comes to Yomi's territory with a proposition: a new tournament which will determine the ruler of the whole of Makai. Yomi accepts and the tournament begins. Kurama's team (made up of the surviving members of Teams Masho, Uratogi, and Rokuyokai from the Dark Tournament) qualifies easily in the preliminary round, but after the team faces stronger opponents, each member is defeated one by one. Then, Kurama fights Shigure, "The Demon Surgeon." Though Kurama is in the lower S-class power level, he is no match for Shigure. During a fierce battle, he transforms into an upper S-class Yoko and easily uses super speed to avoid Shigure, but willfully transforms back into his human self, stating that he will not resort to using that power. Despite being weaker than Shigure, he is able to cause the large dormant tree they are using as an arena to bloom, having merged it with a cherry tree seed before the fight began. This causes Shigure to lose the match as his weapon gets stripped from him, giving Kurama the win. However, Kurama is unable to continue with the tournament and withdraws due to severe injuries. After his fight with Shigure, he decides to not look to the past for answers, but to the future. With his loyalty to his human mother, and his friends, he leaves his Yoko lifestyle behind, as he tells Yomi. He decides to return home to live out his human life. Kurama rejecting his yoko nature, however, was an addition made exclusively on the animation. In the original story told by the manga, such resolve was not shown or hinted just like his fight against Shigure. In fact, the entire fight with Shigure was not shown in the manga at all, although Kurama did state that he didn't know how he beat Shigure and used up most of his youki in this battle, indicating Kurama had extreme difficulty with this battle. He then lost to Kujou, one of Raizen's Friends in the third round. After the end of the Makai/Demon World Tournament, Kurama goes back to Ningenkai and gets a job at his stepfather's company. He lives like a normal human being from then on alongside Yusuke, Kuwabara, and his other friends - except for Hiei, who decides to continue living in Makai. In the manga, which deviates after the end of the Makai Tournament, he does not entirely give up the demon world or the detective lifestyle as Yusuke frequently calls on him for help in solving the cases for his Spirit Detective business. There is a severe change of story after the Three Kings Saga, mainly in that not only does the Kekkai Barrier come down, but demons pop up in human world frequently, often appearing on talk shows (Koto, Juri and Ruka from the Dark Tournament are seen being interviewed by a popular TV host). Considering he decided not to attend college and stay with his family instead, it could be an indication he intends to leave his human form behind once his family does not need him anymore since he is not trying to conform entirely to human ideals of "going to college and getting a high paying job". In a bonus OVA he is shown to enter the second Makai Tournament alongside Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara. Powers and Abilities Fighting Style * Vast Intellective Approach // Unparalleled Precision: Perhaps one of Kurama's most powerful abilities. On countless occasions it has been demonstrated upon the sheer depth of Kurama's intellectual capabilities. Coupled with his innate ability to conceal his emotions in the face of adversity, and his power to summon plants from the demon world, his mind makes Kurama one of the most powerful characters in the series. Along with his centuries of experience as a fighter, Kurama has molded himself into a master strategist, tactician, and analyst. He is frequently the first person to point out or find a weakness in his opponent's abilities or fighting style and exploit them to his advantage. The weakness of this is that in his attempt to understand and come up with a way to defeat his opponent, he tends to go easy on his opponent at first and is often the most injured of the four. Still his ability to think several steps before the enemy almost always ensures his victory. Known Techniques/Moves * Demonic Plant Manipulation ( '悪魔 ・ 植物・マニピュレーション , Akuma Shokubutsu Manipyurēshon ) translated as Devil Plant Manipulation : Kurama's primary skillset is the use of his demon energy to manipulate plants. Typically, this is done by taking some inert portion of a plant, like a seed or a flower, and transforming it into either a weapon or a living plant. When choosing the latter option, the plant will typically either be an intrinsically deadly plant native to the Demon World, or a Living World plant that has been drastically altered by Kurama's demon energy. *'Rose Whip (薔薇・棘・鞭・刃 (ローズ・ウィップ), Bara Toge Muchi Ha (Rōzu Uippu), translated as Rose Thorn Whip Blade '': Kurama's signature technique, where he uses his demon energy to grow a rose from its seed state to its flowering state and then into a long thorny whip that's capable of cutting even through steel. With this he is able to conceal seeds of different plants with such stealth that the opponent doesn't realize it until it has already happened. * '''Rose Whiplash' (華厳・裂斬・肢, Kagon Retsuzan-shi ) , translated as Luster Severe Rending Slash Limb, Thorn Whiplash in the Viz translation : Kurama swiftly slashes the whip in multiple directions. * Chou Kagon Retsuzanshi (超・華厳・裂斬・肢 , Chō Kegon Retsuzan-shi ) , translated as Super Luster Severe Rending Slash Limb; Super Thorn Whiplash in the Viz translation : A more devastating form of the Rose Whip. He uses this attack against defense armor Sensui. *'Rose Whip Thorn Wheel' (風・華 ・ 円舞・陣, Kaze Hana Enbu Jin ''), translated as ''Wind Luster Waltz Array '': Kurama draws the Rose Whip and swings it around him in a circle, as rose petals scatter around and stun his opponents, while the wheel created from the whip unleashes crescent-shaped energy blades. * '''Petals and Thorns' ( 花びら・棘 , Hanabira Toge ), translated as Petal Whirlwind in the English manga : A executed via a whirlwind of razor-sharp rose petals materializing in the palm of Kurama's hand and then swirling around him. If an opponent/attacker gets within a certain range, the petals attack and rip them to shreds. Kurama mainly uses this technique as a barrier or to take out large numbers of weaker demons. *'Seed of the Death Plant' (死・招き・草, Shi Maneki Sō ) '', translated as ''Death-Inviting Grass '': This is a small seed that Kurama plants in his opponent's body and can be manipulated using his demon energy. After it has had enough time to secure its roots within the victim's body, the death plant bursts forth from within, killing the opponent. Only used successfully on Roto during the Dark Tournament, unsuccessfully on Karasu, and as an impromptu blade when fighting Toya. *'Death Tree''' (死・獣・植物, Shi Kemono Shokubutsu ) '', translated as ''Devourer Demon Plant '': A Demon World plant, the Death Tree is a root-based plant that contains huge mouths at the end of each root. It is a carnivorous tree with an acidic saliva capable of melting flesh and bone easily. Instinctively it strikes anything that moves. In the series it appears just once, being used only to intimidate Ura Urashima during the Dark Tournament. *'Ojigi Plant''' (魔界・の・御辞儀・草, Makai no Ojigi Sō ) '', translated as ''Demon Realm Bowing Grass: A plant indigenous to South America. When grown with demon energy, it mutates into a creature that responds to movements or heat by closing its leaves around its prey and crushing it to death. It is considered the demon world equivalent of the mimosa plant, but unlike its human world counterpart, which withdraws in response to a presence, this demonic plant actually pursues any heat it notices. Had to be summoned by incantation in the manga and Japanese-language anime; the anime's incantation was, according to official subtitles, "agron tentagram bicheon sabbat adonai", while the manga used nonsense-symbols. Only used to try and kill Karasu during the Final Round of the Dark Tournament. * Bloodsucking Plant (吸血・植物, Kyūketsu Shokubutsu ) '', translated as ''Blood-Drinking Weed '': A special Demon World plant that can attach itself to its victim and drain them of their blood before blossoming into a beautiful, rose-like, flower once it has drained enough blood from its victim. Only used to kill Karasu during the final round of the Dark Tournament. * '''Accelerated Growth': Kurama is able to speed up the rate of growth of plants, allowing him to create a forest in mere seconds as a means of hiding himself. He can also control the plants he grew to do certain tasks. *'Lamp Weed' (アカル・雑草, Akaru Zassō ), translated as Bright Weed : ''Plants that act as markers for Kurama to find his way back. Used during the Chapter Black saga, as the Spirit Detectives make their way down to where the tunnel to Demon World is being opened. *'Smoke Screen''' ( 煙・画面 , Kemuri Gamen ), translated as Smoke Screen '': Through his palms, Kurama can jettison smoke to obfuscate and obscure his position. The manga and the script for the anime state that the ability's catalyst is a powder like mold. *'Sinning Tree''' (邪念・樹, Janen Ju ), translated as Tree of Depravity '': A demon world native plant, the tree is a carnivorous plant that feeds through siphoning the life of prey through its tendrils and roots. Upon ensnaring a victim, the tree responds to the memories of the victims, flooding the consciousness of the victim with hallucinations of wickedness, and forces them to replay their fears as it feeds off of its victims' life force, never stopping until its host is dead. If, for some reason, the victim continues to struggle, then the tree will generate extra tendrils in order to restrain its victim as it feeds. Only used once, to trap Elder Toguro for eternity, near where the tunnel to Demon World is being opened. *'Floating Leaf''' (浮葉科・の・魔界・植物, Fuyō-ka no Makai Shokubutsu ) , translated as Floating Leaves from Demon Realm Plant '': This plant appears as "wings", similar to that of a butterfly, on Kurama's back that double as a glider. First used to break the descent of Kuwabara's, Hiei's, and his, falls while attempting to avenge Yusuke's death in Demon World. Is used later on to keep him in the air as Yusuke and Sensui clash in Demon World. Is unnamed in the English dub, but Kurama describes it as a leaf of a demon world plant. *'The Binding Fist of the Demonic Vine''' (樹霊・妖斬・ 拳 , Juryō Yōzan Ken ) '', translated as ''Wood Spirit Demon Beheading Fist '': Similar to the Rose Whip in that it is composed of a vine with thorns, but this time it grows around Kurama's arm and is wielded as a sword-like weapon. Used only as an attempt to attack Sensui when they were fighting in Demon World, although he did use a similar attack, Leaf Blade, in his earlier days. It is speculated that this attack is in fact created by what are essentially rose whips manipulated and entangled around Kurama's arm, creating a sharp piercing weapon. Anime-Exclusive Techniques *'Okunenju Roots''' (憶念・樹, Okunen Ju ), translated as Memory-Recall Tree '': Kurama can control the roots of the Okunenju and use them to attack his opponent. The plant, however, takes millennia to grow and requires a large amount of energy to manipulate. Kurama's match against Shigure during the Makai Tournament took place on top of an Okunenju that Yoko Kurama had planted there thousands of years ago. Kurama was therefore able to take control of the entire arena and overwhelm Shigure. Movie-Exclusive Techniques *'Bamboo Forest ( 竹・の・森 , Take no Mori ), translated as Bamboo Forest : An unnamed technique that transforms the plant first into a spear, and then by striking the ground with said spear, a large number of bamboo pikes burst out of the ground and impales the opponent several times. Used by Kurama in the second movie in order to kill an unnamed Netherworld God that impersonated his former partner Kuronue. Manga-Exclusive Techniques *'Pseudo-Creature '( 擬似 ・クリーチャー , Giji Kurīchā ), translated as Fake Creature : Seen only in the manga set after the Demon World Tournament, this parasite merges with its host on the cellular level, instinctively repairing any damage done to the host body. Unless the host's brain is destroyed, the host will stay in a 'half-life' for a very-long time. Its appearance is similar to that of the '''Sinning Tree, which begs the question of whether or not the two plants are somehow related. :*Hiei gave the slave trader Chikou , Mukuro's childhood abuser, one of these creatures (which Kurama had supplied him with). He then delivered Chikou's incapacitated body to Mukuro, for her to mutilate as she saw fit; a demonic version of therapy, so to speak. *'Parrot Grass '( オウム''' ・草 ', 'Ōmu Kusa ), translated as Parrot Grass : Kurama uses this shrub in order to deceive a group of religious terrorists who had taken the Gates of Judgment hostage and used radio check-ins to make sure nothing was going wrong. *'Leaf Blade '(葉・ 剣 , Ha Ken ) , translated as ''Leaf Blade'' : In the Two Shots chapter, Kurama's main weapon was a leaf transformed into a sword. Presumably this was before he was at the level of using his Rose Whip again. In the anime, this is replaced with the Rose Whip. *'Astral Projection '( アストラル・投射 , Asutoraru Tōsha ) , translated as ''Astral Projection'' :' In the manga, Kurama demonstrates the ability to naturally separate his physical body with his spirit in order to enter the Spirit World Video Game Exclusive Techniques *'Rose Darts: This is only used in Dark Tournament on the Play Station 2. It is used by holding the right arrow and press the R1 Button. *'Rose Whip Blossom: '''This is only used in Spirit Detective on a GameBoy System. This is done when Kurama reaches level 20 and you press R and B together. This kills almost every foe in your path depending on his level. *'Whip Sweep: 'It is only used in Dark Tournament. It is used by holding the left arrow and press the L1 button while in crouching position. *'Whip Repel: 'It is only used in Dark Tournament. It is used by holding the up arrow and press the L1 button. *'Rose Rain: 'Only used in Dark Tournament. It is used by holding the up arrow and R2 at a same time. *'Jumping Rose Whip: 'Seen in Dark Tournament only. Press R1 while in the air. *'Death Ray: 'In a Dark Tournament video game, it is only used when Kurama is in his Youko form. Hold the right arrow and press L2. *'Death Ray Flying: 'In Youko Kurama form, press the down arrow and press L1 Items *'Fruit of the Previous Life potion '''( 前世の実 ･ の ･ 薬 , Zensenomi no Kusuri ) , translated as Previous World's Fruits / Medicine : A potion that that was made from the Fruit of the Previous Life, a fruit handpicked from the upper realms of the Spirit World is given to Kurama after Suzuki gets beaten by Genkai in the Dark Tournament . The fruit possesses the ability to revert a person to an earlier stage in their life, serving as the basis for the smoke for Ura Urashima's '''Idun Box. The potion can help Kurama turned into Yoko Kurama at will . The side effect of Fruit of the Previous Life potion is unbalanced between his human side and demon side . Character Relationships *Unnamed Father - Father ( deceased ) *Shiori Minamino - Mother *Kazuya Hatanaka - Stepfather *Shuichi Hatanaka - Stepbrother *Kuronue - Partner in crime and former accomplice ( deceased ) *Yusuke - Friend *Hiei - Friend *Kuwabara - Friend *Yukina - Friend *Keiko - Friend *Botan - Friend *Shizuru - Friend *Genkai - Friend Gallery 20170530_191906.png Screenshot 20170525-145558.png Kuronue and Kurama.png KuramaOpening.jpg Kurama 1.jpg Kurama 2.jpg Kurama 7.jpg Ep7 Kurama.jpg Kurama.jpg KuramaPortrait.jpg Kurama bombed by Karasu Episode 56.jpg Kurama hurt.jpg KuramaRosewhip4TH.gif Ep7 Kurama fox form.jpg KuramaBeastKako.jpg YokoBeastKurama.jpg YokoKurama-1.jpg Trivia *As with Hiei, Kurama's name simply "popped into Togashi's head" when developing the characters. *Kitayama finds Kurama to be the easiest of the main characters to design due to his well-proportioned features. *Kurama is revealed to be the real name of the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within Naruto during the final story arc of the Naruto series; its mangaka Masashi Kishimoto is said to have been inspired from the Yu Yu Hakusho series. *David Hayter, who voices Kurama in Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie, also voiced Solid Snake in the popular video game Metal Gear Solid. *In the Hyper Police anime, Kurama made a cameo appearance in the episode 4 when Natsuki is in the house of Sakura. *Kurama's original manga color scheme was black hair and a blue uniform; the animators chose a red and pink version instead, possibly to give more color variety to Team Urameshi as Hiei and Yusuke have black hair and Kuwabara already wears a blue uniform. *Kurama made a cameo appearance in Yoshihiro Togashi's second hit manga series Hunter x Hunter, in Volume 8, Chapter 69, as an action figure alongside Yusuke and Hiei, inside the room of Milluki Zoldyck. *'Kurapika', one of the main characters in the manga series Hunter X Hunter, is largely based on Kurama : *Kurapika is a cunning, master strategist who always planned his attacks in advance. *Both Kurama and Kurapika have the same first two syllables in their names and are the only main characters to do so. *In the same way that Kurama was ranked second place for most popular character in the Yu Yu Hakusho manga, Kurapika was also voted in second place in the Hunter X Hunter popularity contest. *Just as Kurama could manipulate plants in order to immobilize, capture, attack and kill his enemies, Kurapika had the ability to conjure up a chain from his aura, which was used for the same purposes as Kurama's plants were. *He is a master martial artist. *He bore a profound feeling of respect and platonic love towards his friends and family, and would never sacrifice their lives in order to achieve his own personal goals. *He possesses a calm, collective, and friendly personality that belied his sinister, wrathful, and hateful feelings towards those who had wronged or hurt him in the past. *Chinese-style robes are his main form of clothing. *His androgynous appearance has lead readers to wonder if he was in fact a girl. In one chapter, he is mistaken as being a girl by his archenemy. *He is highly intelligent with a wide knowledge of the world. *He is a boy prodigy who rapidly learned to control his superhuman abilities. *Kurama is usually crippled in some way during his fights: ***Genbu wounds him in the stomach and he could no longer fight for the duration of the mission. ***Roto holds a button, threatening to send a signal to his demon brother to kill Kurama's mother if he fought back. ***Gama anchors down Kurama's arms and legs with his paint-based sealing techniques. ***Toya faces him while his power is sealed away by Gama's final technique. ***Ura Urashima tricks him into being exposed to the Idun Box (which ultimately works to Kurama's advantage as it transforms him into Yoko Kurama). *Kurama is the only fighter on Team Urameshi to technically lose in the finals against team Toguro. *Kurama hides seeds in his hair. *During his fight with Elder Toguro/Gourmet, Kurama showed the ability to suppress all thought in his mind and fight solely on impulse. He also is capable of hiding his true plans underneath layers of false planning. *He had a girl named Maya who became really attached to him when he was 14 (this is not shown in the anime) *Kurama met Hiei when he was 14 years old (as a human). *He seems prone to taking wounds in the stomach. *He has an incredible sense of smell and can read lips. *Kurama planned to leave Human World to return to Demon World after regaining his strength, but it would take an estimated 10 years to do so. In the end, he never left because of the love he had for his human mother and the rest of his family. *During the Three Kings Saga, Kurama's Yōki is stated to be 1,902 (In the manga) and 8,902 (In the anime). When transforming into Yoko Kurama his Yōki is 152,000. **This means Kurama has roughly a twentieth of his demon powers in human form. He more than makes up for this weakness through strategy. *His seiyu, Megumi Ogata, also voiced Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon (90's anime only). Coincidentally, Yu Yu Hakusho's mangaka, Yoshihiro Togashi, is married to Naoko Takeuchi, the mangaka for Sailor Moon. *In the Korean dub he is named "Cho-Hong" (초홍), which, unlike Hiei's Korean name, is not a hanja translation of his Japanese name. In the Korean sub, he is called "Gurama", but is still called Kurama in the manga translation. *It has been stated in latest releases that Kurama's Birthday falls on December 29. *The Filipino dub initially called him Denise, because the dubbers thought he was a woman. When they learned the truth, they changed his name to Dennis and explained that he was disguising himself as a woman named Denise. *He was Megumi Ogata's debut role. **In an interview, Megumi Ogata said that Kurama was one of her most memorable works, along with Sailor Uranus from 'Sailor Moon', Shinji Ikari from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', and Melvina McGarren in the video game 'Melty Lancer'. *In the anime, Kurama's hairstyle bears a resemblance to Feldt Grace's hair from Gundam. *Kurama is a popular character among fans of the series. **This is likely due to him being the "straight man" in the comedic lunacy of his comrades. In terms of personality, Kurama falls between the loudmouths Yusuke and Kuwabara, and the stoic Hiei. **In the Animage Anime Grand Prix, he was ranked as the third most popular male anime character of 1993 and the most popular male character in both 1994 and 1995. **His alternate Demon Fox Kurama form was ranked sixteenth in 1994. **Yoko Kurama additionally won About.com's "Best Supporting Character" in its 2005 Anime Award Show. **Kurama was also ranked the third best male anime character of the 1990s by Newtype. **In the manga poll in volume 12, Kurama was placed 2nd by 13,514 votes by fans. *Yoko Kurama bears resemblance to another famous anime character, Inuyasha. *Like Hiei, Kurama's name comes from the Kurama Mountain, in Kyoto, Japan. It is the location of a famous Buddhist temple. Mt. Hiei stands right beside it. *Kurama's human name translates in two parts: the given (Shuichi) means "excellence first", while the surname (Minamino) means "Southern Field" and is also the name of a famous Japanese warrior. To this day, the surname is only allowed to families of nobility or higher social standing. *Kurama is the name of a rural town in the northern mountains of Kyoto City, less than one hour from the city center. Kurama town is best known for its temple Kurama-dera and its hot spring, one of the most easily accessible hot springs from Kyoto. *Kurama is the only member of team Urameshi to remain undefeated in the Demon world tournament (though he must have either lost or forfeited at some point before the end considering the fact that he did not win). *Kurama's Yoki is Purple in color. *His name was also used in a sumo wrestler named Kurama Tatsuya. *Kurama is possibly the most intelligent character in the series. * Kurama is the only main character among the four who doesn't go shirtless during any battle. * Kurama (Shuichi Minamino) and Youko Kurama have a resemblance of a fox. Shuichi Minamino (by hair color) represents the Red Fox, which is native to Japan. Youko Kurama himself represents a Silver Fox. *In the FUNimation dub, Kurama has a normal voice (Shuichi Minamino) but when he turns into Youko Kurama his voice became deeper. *Though never outright stated, the side-effects of the Seed of Decarnation potion Kurama drank at the Dark Tournament seems to have left his human side and demon side unbalanced . **.Kurama seems to have involuntarily transformed into Youko Kurama following Yusuke's death at the hands of Shinobu Sensui. In the anime, this was stated to be merely a cosmetic change resulting from exposure to Youki. **In the Three Kings arc, Kurama states that he feels like his old self once a month. ***He reverts to his demon form whenever he is in extreme danger. Though, in the anime, he uses his sheer willpower to suppress Yoko; he decided not to rely on his old self. ***The anime shows Kurama reverting to Yoko while gazing at the moon. Quotes * (To Yusuke ) "Let me do what I must,Yusuke" : "I'm making perfect sense you're just not keeping up!" : "Logic is panic's prey." - Episode 68 * (to Yusuke) "We thought you were a brilliant strategist. Really, you're just a lucky fool." - Episode 8 : "What if I truly didn't care?" - Episode 29 : "What irony. Such beauty sprung up from such an ugly soil." - Episode 29 * (Everyone but Hiei playing cards in the hotel) "Come, join us Hiei. We're practically family over here." * "Nerd violence..." (he says this in response to students who wanted to force him to join them, only to be crushed by Kuwabara before the battle between Kido, Yana, and Kaito) - Episode 68 * (Kuwabara arguing with Hiei) "And to think, one day they could be in-laws." * (to Yusuke) "Sorry, I don't have the time to be arrested." * (as Yoko when he taunts Karasu)"You should know better than to corner an animal like a fox, Karasu. We have a tendency to show our teeth." * (as Yoko) "You'd better find a smart way to kill it or else... 'Bang'." * (to Karasu) "How does it feel to be the one pursued?" * (to Yusuke) "Hiei is going through a tricky change. It appears he is beginning to like you." * "It most certainly isn't pleasant being called a 'traitor' by creatures you've never met." * "Yoko has returned, they cry." * (Talking to Juri) "You. Unless you want to be plant food, don't move." * (as Yoko) "There is no room for your fantasies of denial, little vermin. Be assured... I am alive." * "I'm flattered that you've heard of me, but as you can see, the stories were incorrect.” * "I'll take this one, Yusuke. Don't argue... I am not in the mood." - Episode 84 * "Rely on impulse and not even your thoughts can betray you." - Episode 84 * (to Elder Toguro, hiding in Gourmet's body.) "Did you think I wouldn't notice? I could smell your stench, ever since we enter the cave." - Episode 84 * (to Elder Toguro) "That's enough! You've survived, for far too long... And now, it ends!" - Episode 84 * (to Elder Toguro) "I'm sorry... was that supposed to hurt me?" - Episode 84 * "Any prize worth having requires a risk." * "Regret is a different beast when you live for centuries." * "Suicide is not the answer. There is neither honor, nor redemption in that." * "I thought clowns made everyone else laugh." * "Yusuke, you need a 'Plan B'." - Episode 82 * (commenting on Hiei's rude statements) "It's his way of saying, 'You're welcome.' You will learn." * "Kuwabara, I've been standing next to you for some time now. A bit nervous, are we?" * (as Yoko) "It looks like it's zeroed in on you. I guess all of your trembling must have caught its attention." * (To Yusuke) "The more, impatient we are, the more mistakes we'll make" - Episode 19 References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Demons Category:Male Characters Category:Upper S-Class Demons Category:Upper A-Class Demons Category:Humans Category:Masters Category:Fourth Wall Breakers Category:Super Centenarian Category:Scientists